Not only that, but the condition on the trade was that if the Avs hadn't made the playoffs or something like that, the Avs would've forfeited their 1st rounder the following season. So yeah, there would've been a possibility that Matt Duchene would've been in Columbus. Yet another reason why Giguere was deservedly fired.

Avs set an NHL record for the highest point total to miss the playoffs. We came that close to losing Duchene.